Jennifer's POV
I answer Jason's call.
"Where are you?" My brother's voice is tight with worry. "I've been calling for hours. I saw the video, Jen. I'm coming to get you—"
"I'm fine," I say quickly. "I'm with friends."
"What friends? Everyone abandoned you after Richard started his smear campaign."
I look at Michael, Daniel, and James. They're watching me, waiting.
"I'm with Sophia," I lie. Sort of. Sophia is somewhere in this mess too.
"Jennifer." Jason's voice drops. "I also got a very interesting call from a reporter. She asked me about you and my friends. About you and Michael, specifically. What the hell is going on?"
My mouth goes dry. "Nothing. She's lying. Richard's spreading more rumors—"
"Are you with them right now?" Jason demands. "Are you with Michael, Daniel, and James?"
The silence stretches too long.
"Jesus Christ, Jen." Jason sounds furious. "Stay where you are. I'm coming over. We need to talk. Don't do anything stupid."
He hangs up before I can respond.
"He knows," I whisper. "He's coming here."
"Good," Michael says. "We need to talk to him anyway."
"Good? Are you crazy? He's going to lose his mind!" I'm pacing now, my heels clicking on the pavement. "You're his best friends. I'm his sister. This breaks every rule—"
"What rules?" Daniel asks calmly. "The ones that say you can't make your own choices? That you belong to your brother instead of yourself?"
"That's not fair—"
"Isn't it?" James steps forward. "Jennifer, you're twenty-eight years old. You just escaped a terrible marriage. You're finally free. Are you really going to let your brother control who you can and can't be with?"
"It's not about control! It's about respect! About loyalty!" My voice cracks. "If I do this—if I choose you—Jason will never forgive any of us."
"Then he'll have to learn," Michael says quietly. "Because I'm done pretending I don't want you."
The words hit me like lightning.
"You barely know me," I whisper.
"I've known you for eight years." Michael's eyes are intense, burning. "I've watched you at every family dinner, every holiday party, every company event. I've watched you dim yourself to make Richard comfortable. Watched you smile when you were dying inside. And I've hated every second of not being able to do anything about it."
"Michael—"
"Dance with me," he says suddenly. "Right here. Right now. Before your brother shows up and everything gets complicated."
"We're in a parking lot," I say stupidly.
"I don't care." Michael pulls out his phone, presses something. Music starts playing—soft, slow, intimate.
He holds out his hand.
I should say no. Should wait for Jason. Should think about consequences.
Instead, I take his hand.
Michael pulls me close, and suddenly we're dancing in a dark parking lot outside a police station, and it's the most insane thing I've ever done.
His hands settle on my waist. Firm. Possessive. Right.
"This is crazy," I breathe.
"Probably," Michael agrees. His thumb traces small circles on my hip. "But I'm tired of being careful around you."
"Why?" I look up at him. "Why now? Why me?"
"Because you're finally free," he says. "And because watching you fight back—watching you become who you were always supposed to be—it's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen."
My heart is racing. "Jason will never forgive you."
"I know."
"You'll lose your best friend."
"I know."
"For what? For one night with me?"
Michael's hands tighten on my waist. "Who said anything about one night?"
The question hangs between us. Daniel and James move closer, forming a circle around us.
"Jennifer," Daniel says softly. "We need to be honest with you."
"About what?"
"About how long we've wanted this," James answers. "About how many times we've held back because you were married. Off-limits. Jason's little sister."
"But you're not a little sister anymore," Daniel continues. "You're a woman who's been through hell and came out stronger. A woman who deserves everything."
"And we want to give you everything," Michael finishes. "If you'll let us."
I'm shaking now. Not from cold. From something else entirely.
"I don't understand what you're offering me."
"We're offering you a choice," Michael says. "You can walk away right now. Go back to fighting Richard alone. Rebuild your life the safe way. The proper way."
"Or?" I whisper.
"Or you can choose us," James says. "All three of us. However you want us. For however long you want us."
"That's insane," I say. But my heart is pounding with possibility. "People don't do that."
"People do whatever they want when they stop caring about rules," Daniel says gently.
"Jason will—"
"Hate us," Michael finishes. "Probably. For a while. But he'll get over it because he loves you. And because deep down, he knows we'd never hurt you."
"But what if you do?" The question comes out small. Scared. "What if I let myself trust you and you destroy me just like Richard did?"
Michael's hand moves to cup my face. "Then we'll deserve whatever Jason does to us. But Jennifer, look at me. Really look at me."
I do.
"I would rather die than hurt you," Michael says, and I believe him. "We all would."
"So what do you want from me?" I ask. "What are the rules?"
"No rules," James says. "That's the point."
"No expectations," Daniel adds.
"Just honesty," Michael says. "Just choosing each other every day until one of us doesn't want to anymore."
It sounds impossible. Ridiculous. Wrong in every traditional way.
But when has traditional ever made me happy?
"What about Jason?" I ask one more time.
"We'll handle Jason," Michael promises. "Together."
The music is still playing. Michael's hands are still on my waist. And suddenly, I'm tired of being afraid.
"Okay," I hear myself say. "I choose you. All of you."
Michael's eyes darken. "Say it again."
"I choose—"
He kisses me before I can finish.
It's not gentle. Not careful. It's desperate and claiming and everything I didn't know I needed.
When we break apart, I'm breathless.
"Holy shit," I whisper.
James laughs. "That's one way to put it."
Daniel's eyes are soft but intense. "Jennifer, are you sure? Once we start this, once Jason knows—"
"I'm sure." And I am. For the first time in months, I'm absolutely sure. "I'm so tired of being who everyone else wants me to be. I want to be who I am. Even if that's messy. Even if that's wrong."
"It's not wrong," Michael says fiercely. "Nothing about this is wrong."
Car headlights suddenly flood the parking lot.
We all turn.
Jason's black SUV pulls up fast, tires screeching slightly. He gets out, and even from here I can see he's furious.
"Jennifer!" he shouts. "Get away from them. Now."
"Jason—"
"I said now!" He's walking toward us. "I don't know what the hell they've been telling you, but—"
"They've been telling me the truth," I say calmly. "Something you might want to try."
Jason stops. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means I'm an adult. I can make my own choices."
"Not with my best friends, you can't!" Jason looks at Michael, Daniel, and James. "What the hell are you thinking? She's vulnerable right now. Hurt. You're taking advantage—"
"Nobody's taking advantage of me," I cut him off. "I chose them. All three of them. And if you have a problem with that, it's your problem, not mine."
Jason's face goes red. "Have you lost your mind? Do you know what people will say? What this will do to your reputation?"
"My reputation?" I laugh, and it sounds bitter. "Jason, my reputation is already destroyed. Richard made sure of that. So why should I care what people think anymore?"
"Because I care!" Jason shouts. "Because you're my sister and I'm trying to protect you!"
"I don't need protection!" I shout back. "I need freedom! I need to make my own mistakes! Even if you think they're wrong!"
"This isn't a mistake, Jen. This is suicide." Jason's voice drops. "They're going to hurt you. Maybe not on purpose, but they will. And I'll have to watch it happen."
"Or maybe they won't," I say quietly. "Maybe they'll be exactly what I need right now."
Jason looks at his three best friends. "If any of you hurt her—"
"We won't," Michael says firmly. "You have my word."
"Your word?" Jason laughs harshly. "What's that worth when you're already breaking the biggest rule we have?"
"The rule that says I own my sister?" I ask. "That rule?"
"That's not what I meant—"
"Then what did you mean, Jason? Explain it to me. Explain why I can't choose three men who treat me with respect. Who see me as strong. Who don't want to control me."
Jason opens his mouth. Closes it. He has no answer.
"That's what I thought," I say.
My phone buzzes. I pull it out automatically.
It's an email from Richard's lawyer.
The subject line makes my blood freeze: Settlement Offer - Final Chance
I open it with shaking hands.
Jennifer,
Given the recent developments and the evidence we've compiled regarding your mental state and questionable relationships, we're offering one final settlement:
You agree to relinquish all claims to the disputed assets, accept a finding of fault in the divorce, and sign a non-disclosure agreement about our marriage. In exchange, we won't press charges for the threatening communications, and we'll ask the media to stop covering your... unconventional personal life.
You have until tomorrow at noon to accept. After that, we're filing additional motions and releasing more evidence that will make tonight's video look tame.
Choose wisely.
- Catherine Wells, on behalf of Richard Morgan
I read it twice. Three times.
"What is it?" Michael asks.
I show him the email. He reads it, then passes it to Daniel and James. All three of their faces go dark.
"More evidence?" James says. "What more could he possibly have?"
That's when my phone rings again.
Unknown number.
I answer. "Hello?"
"Jennifer Morgan?" A man's voice. Smooth. Professional. Terrifying. "This is David Chen from Morgan Media Group's board of directors. I'm calling to inform you that an emergency board meeting has been called for tomorrow morning. Nine AM."
My heart stops. "Why?"
"Questions have been raised about your fitness to hold shares in the company. Given recent events—the video, the police investigation, reports about your personal conduct—the board feels a review is necessary."
"You can't take my shares—"
"Actually, per your grandmother's trust agreement, we can. If you're deemed morally unfit or mentally unstable, the board has the right to vote on redistribution of your shares. I suggest you attend with legal counsel."
He hangs up.
I stand there, staring at my phone, and suddenly I understand.
This was Richard's plan all along.
The video. The photographer. The settlement offer. All of it designed to back me into a corner.
Either I accept his humiliating settlement and disappear quietly.
Or I fight back and lose my family's company shares—the shares worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
"He's going after Morgan Media," I whisper. "That's what this has been about the whole time. Not the divorce. Not revenge. He wants my shares in my family's company."
"Can he do that?" Daniel asks.
"If the board decides I'm unfit..." I can barely breathe. "Yes. They can vote to take my shares. And Richard's mother has been on that board for twenty years. She has friends there. Allies."
"Then we fight," Michael says immediately.
"How? You heard what they said. They have more evidence. More ammunition. And now they have pictures of me with all three of you. It's over. Richard wins."
"No." James's voice is hard. "It's not over. Not even close."
"You don't understand—"
"I understand perfectly," James interrupts. "Richard thinks he's smart. Thinks he's covered all his bases. But he made one mistake."
"What mistake?"
James smiles, and it's almost scary. "He messed with people who are smarter than he is. And we don't lose."
"What are you going to do?" I ask.
"Whatever it takes," Michael says. "But Jennifer, you need to trust us completely. No questions. No doubts. Can you do that?"
I look at the three of them. These powerful, dangerous men who are offering to fight for me.
Then I look at Jason. My brother. Who's staring at all of us like he doesn't recognize anyone anymore.
"If I do this," I say slowly, "if I trust you and fight back... Jason might never forgive any of us."
"I know," Michael says.
"Our friendship might be over," I tell Jason.
"Probably," he says quietly. His anger has faded into something sadder. "But Jen... if this is really what you want... if they really make you happy... maybe that's worth more than my approval."
It's not forgiveness. But it's not complete rejection either.
It's a start.
I turn back to Michael, Daniel, and James.
"Okay," I say. "I trust you. What do we do?"
Michael's smile is sharp. Predatory. "We go to war."
My phone buzzes one more time.
Another message from unknown number. But this time, it's not a threat.
It's a photo.
Of Richard. In a hotel room. With someone who definitely isn't Amanda.
The message below reads: Guess who's been keeping secrets too? Check your email. I sent you everything you need to bury him. Use it wisely. - A Friend
I open my email with shaking hands.
There are dozens of files. Photos. Bank statements. Hotel receipts. Text messages.
Richard hasn't just been cheating with Amanda.
He's been cheating with five other women. For the entire three years of our marriage.
And he's been embezzling from his family's company to pay for it all.
"Oh my God," I whisper. "He's done. Richard's completely done."
"What is it?" Daniel asks.
I show them my phone, watching their faces change as they scroll through the evidence.
"Who sent this?" Jason asks.
"I don't know," I admit. "But whoever they are, they just gave us everything we need to destroy Richard tomorrow."
Michael looks at me, his eyes blazing with triumph and something darker. "Are you ready for this? Ready to go public with everything? Because once we use this, there's no going back. The whole world will know everything about your marriage. About Richard. About all of it."
I think about Richard's smug face. About Victoria's cruelty. About three months of hell.
Then I think about the three men standing beside me. About choosing myself for once.
"I'm ready," I say. "Let's end this."